Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference

Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference
AbbreviationHMC
Formation1869; 157 years ago (1869)
TypeNon-governmental organisation
PurposeEducational accreditation
HeadquartersMarket Harborough
LocationMarket Harborough, Leicestershire
Region served
Commonwealth and Ireland
Members351 full members (including international)
General Secretary
Simon Hyde
AffiliationsISC
Websitehmc.org.uk

The Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC), formerly known as the Headmasters' Conference and now branded HMC (The Heads' Conference), is an association of the head teachers of 351 private fee-charging schools (both boarding schools and day schools), traditionally described as public schools. 302 members are based in the United Kingdom, Crown dependencies and Ireland. There are 72 international members (mostly from the Commonwealth) and also 28 associate or affiliate members who are head teachers of state schools or other influential individuals in the world of education, who endorse and support the work of HMC.

History

The Conference dates from 1869 when Edward Thring, Headmaster of Uppingham School, asked sixty of his fellow headmasters to meet at his house to consider the formation of a "School Society and Annual Conference". Fourteen accepted the invitation, and twelve were present for the whole of the initial meeting: Edward Thring, George Blore (Bromsgrove School), Albert Wratislaw (King Edward VI School, Bury St Edmunds), John Mitchinson (The King's School, Canterbury), William Grignon (Felsted School), Robert Sanderson (Lancing College), George Butler (Liverpool College), Augustus Jessopp (Norwich School), William Wood (Oakham School), Steuart Pears (Repton School), T. H. Stokoe (Richmond), Daniel Harper (Sherborne School), and James Welldon (Tonbridge School). John Dyne (Highgate School) attended on the second day, and Alfred Carver (Dulwich College) did not turn up. From that date there have been annual meetings.

Until the 1970s, membership was confined to 200 schools. In 1996, the association changed its name from the "Headmasters' Conference" to the "Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference".[citation needed] In 2023, the name was changed to HMC (The Heads' Conference).

Membership of the HMC is often considered to be what defines a school as a public school in England and Wales. Not all independent schools are in the HMC; in particular, many notable girls' schools are not members, partly because historically the HMC was for boys' schools only.[citation needed] In 2005, the association opened membership to heads of girls-only schools. Today HMC's membership includes boys', girls' and co-educational schools.

List of HMC member schools in the United Kingdom and Crown dependencies

England

Scotland

Wales

Northern Ireland

Guernsey

Jersey

Isle of Man

International members

Africa

Asia

Australia and New Zealand

Central, North and South America

Continental Europe

Middle East

Associates

Former Members

HMC Projects in Central and Eastern Europe

HMC Projects in Central and Eastern Europe is a charity offering opportunities for students and young teachers from Central and Eastern Europe to develop themselves, by coming to HMC member schools in the UK for a year.[citation needed]

Chairs of the HMC

Chairmen of the Headmasters' Conference

The following were the Chairmen of the HMC until 1996.

Chairs of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference

The following are the Chairs of the HMC after 1996.

<*> Change to Academic Year Chairmanship

Chairs of the HMC Committee

The following were Chairmen of the HMC Committee in the early years of the Conference. In these years they served alongside the Chairman of the Conference (the 'annual meeting') until, in 1921, it was agreed that the Chairman of the Annual Meeting should always also be Chairman of the HMC Committee.

  • G Ridding, Head Master, Winchester College, 1870, 1871, 1872
  • Daniel Harper, Head Master, Sherborne School, 1874, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1878
  • G C Bell, Master, Marlborough College, 1879, 1881, 1882, 1883, 1885, 1886, 1887
  • T W Jex-Blake, Head Master, Rugby School, 1880
  • E C Wickham, Head Master, Wellington College, 1884, 1888
  • E Warre, Head Master, Eton College, 1889, 1893
  • W A Fearon, Head Master, Winchester College, 1891, 1895
  • E Lyttelton, Headmaster, Haileybury, 1898, 1902, 1904
  • H W Moss, Headmaster, Shrewsbury School, 1900
  • J Gow, Head Master, Westminster School, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1911
  • R Cary Gilson, Chief Master, King Edward's School, Birmingham, 1909, 1910
  • F Fletcher, Head Master, Charterhouse, 1913
  • C Lowry, Headmaster, Tonbridge School, 1916

See also

References

  1. ↑ Leading Independent Schools, HMC. "About Us". www.hmc.org.uk.
  2. 1 2 Leinster-Mackay, Donald P. The educational world of Edward Thring: a centenary study, Falmer Press, 1987, ISBN 1-85000-253-3, ISBN 978-1-85000-253-6. p. 100
  3. ↑ Other sources including some Headmasters' Conference papers say "Uppingham asked thirty-seven of his fellow headmasters ..." (Headmasters' Conference. Independent Schools Yearbook: Official book of reference at the Headmasters' Conference ..., A & C Black, 1987 p. xlv)
  4. ↑ The Public and Preparatory Schools Year Book. Adam & Charles Black. 1968. p. 3.
  5. ↑ Leinster-Mackay, Donald P. (1987). The Educational World of Edward Thring: A Centenary Study. Falmer Press. p. 100. ISBN 978-1-85000-253-6.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Schools, Great Britain Board of Education Committee on Public; Schools, Great Britain Committee on Public (1944). The Public Schools and the General Educational System: Report of the Committee on Public Schools Appointed by the President of the Board of Education in July 1942. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 29.
  7. ↑ Schools, Great Britain Board of Education Committee on Public; Schools, Great Britain Committee on Public (1944). The Public Schools and the General Educational System: Report of the Committee on Public Schools Appointed by the President of the Board of Education in July 1942. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 34.
  8. ↑ Barker, Irena (11 January 2023). "HMC rebrand drops 'headmasters and headmistresses'". School Management Plus. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  9. ↑ Halpin, Tony Halpin. "Public schools plead to be let off fines over fee fixing". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Public Schools: Memorandum by the Sectary of State for Education and Science (PDF), 19 November 1965, p. 1, archived from the original (PDF) on 12 December 2019, retrieved 12 April 2013
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "HMC Schools Directory(A)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "HMC Schools Directory(B)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  13. ↑ "Box Hill School".
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 "HMC Schools Directory(C)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "HMC Schools Directory(D)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "HMC Schools Directory(E)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "HMC Schools Directory(F)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "HMC Schools Directory(G)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "HMC Schools Directory(H)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  20. ↑ "HMC Schools Directory(H)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  21. 1 2 3 "HMC Schools Directory(I)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  22. 1 2 "HMC Schools Directory(J)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 "HMC Schools Directory(K)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  24. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "HMC Schools Directory(L)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 "HMC Schools Directory(M)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "HMC Schools Directory(N)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 "HMC Schools Directory(O)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  28. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "HMC Schools Directory(P)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 "HMC Schools Directory(Q)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 "HMC Schools Directory(R)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 "HMC Schools Directory(S)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  32. 1 2 3 4 5 "HMC Schools Directory(T)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  33. ↑ @HMC_Org (23 June 2022). "We are delighted to welcome David Boyd, Head at @TormeadSchool into full membership of @HMC_Org . @TormeadHead" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  34. 1 2 "HMC Schools Directory(U)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  35. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 "HMC Schools Directory(W)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  36. ↑ "Winchester College - HMC". HMC. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  37. ↑ "HMC Schools Directory(Y)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  38. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
  39. ↑ "Schools Directory". HMC (The Heads' Conference). Retrieved 7 August 2026.
  40. ↑ "HMC Schools Directory(V)". Hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  41. 1 2 3 4 5 "HMC Associates List". hmc.org.uk. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  42. ↑ "Abbotsholme School (staff vacancy advertisement)". The Times Educational Supplement. No. 3691. 27 March 1987 – via Internet Archive.
  43. 1 2 3 4 Nuffield College, Oxford, Social Mobility Inquiry (1972), Appendix C, "Headmasters' Conference – Code 20". UK Data Archive.
  44. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Board of Education, The Public Schools and the General Educational System (1944), Appendix B(ii), pp. 125–126. HM Stationery Office. Online transcription.
  45. 1 2 3 4 Smithers, Alan, and Pamela Robinson (2008). HMC Schools: A Quantitative Analysis. University of Buckingham, Centre for Education and Employment Research, Appendix A, pp. 51–53. Full report.
  46. ↑ Jewish News (24 December 2021). "Former head of Carmel College, David Stamler, dies aged 93".
  47. ↑ "The Head Masters' Conference" (PDF). The Shirburnian. Vol. 12, no. 112. February 1885. p. 66.
  48. ↑
  49. ↑ "Independent Association of Prep Schools – Members R". FitzGabriels Schools, 30 April 2022. Rishworth School entry identifies its HMC affiliation.
  50. 1 2 3 "Member Zone Login" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2015.
  51. ↑ Wilby, Peter (13 June 2017). "Elite private headteacher: 'The children we educate will create a fairer society'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 December 2017.